For the foreseeable future, all City Hall business will continue to be conducted at 141 Oak St., formerly known as Lowell. M. Maxham School.

The mayor and other city departmental workers were forced to relocate in 2010 after an arsonist, on the morning of Aug. 17, set an attic fire in the original City Hall at 15 Summer St.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but water used by firefighters to battle the top-floor blaze poured down through walls. Many of those interior walls subsequently were demolished as a safety precaution.

The cost estimate of renovating and repairing the building has ranged from $15 million to $23 million.

The progress

In late 2013, the city scored a victory of sorts, when a housing court judge ordered former owner Michael O’Donnell to transfer ownership to the city of his Leonard Block/Star Theater, an aged and dilapidated four-story structure that stands very close to City Hall.

Architectural engineers, who conducted a survey describing design options in 2013, noted that the Star, if left standing, would be an impediment to construction crews working on the City Hall project.

Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. has said the Star Theater will be torn down as soon as feasibly possible.

A $92,000 pre-demolition survey by BETA Group was recently completed. Building department workers on Friday could be seen blocking off the sidewalk in front of the Star as a safety precaution for pedestrians.

The street in front of the Star is also lined with jersey barriers, thereby eliminating a handful of parking spaces.

Hoye said Friday the city is close to hiring a contractor who will demolish the building.

The city recently was granted a waiver by the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to forgo the standard procedure of placing advertisements and notices for bids. The waiver is enabling the city to expedite the process of hiring a DCAMM-certifed company.

It is now yet known how much it will cost to knock down the Leonard Block/Star Theater.